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I was inspired to make mini chicken pot pies after seeing these lovely little things. It just so happened that I had some pie dough laying around. Go figure. And it just so happened that Sur la Table opened up down the street. They were selling mini pie pans. Go figure.

The only thing holding me back—lack of experience. So, I did some serious pot pie research. I wrote up a basic recipe with a bunch of fill-in-the-blanks. And then filled it in like a mad lib while cooking. Some mad libs turn out confused. Thankfully, this one turned out divine—my husband can attest. He mumbled excitedly through each bite. I’ll interpret that as a compliment.

Promise me you won’t let the ingredient list scare you away. It’s stupidly long, but oh so worth it. The picture below serves as proof. And if I could count all the times I wanted to lick the screen while writing this post…OK that’s borderline gross. Sorry. But hear me out—these little guys are well worth the tender loving care they require.

Dice butter and place into flour mixture. Using a pastry knife, cut butter into flour until it resembles coarse meal.

Using a pastry fork add 1/4 cup of the ice cold water into mixture and combine. Continue adding water 1 tablespoon at a time until dough just comes together. You may not need the full amount of water.

Gather dough together. Place in fridge covered for 30-40 minutes to chill.

Make filling. Saute onion, garlic, carrots, and celery in olive oil for about 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove from pan and set aside.

In the same pan, melt butter and add potatoes, chicken stock, and sage. Cover and cook for about 15 minutes or until potatoes have softened. Season again with salt and pepper. Remove from pan and add to vegetables. Remove sage.

Into the same pan, add the flour. Whisk in a bit of the wine until the mixture is smooth. Turn the heat to medium low. Pour in the remaining wine, milk, thyme, and nutmeg to the mixture. Whisk to combine and allow to thicken for 5 minutes.

Remove from heat and add peas, vegetables, and chicken into the mixture. Discard the sprigs of sage. Give it a taste and add any additional salt or pepper.

Preheat oven to 400°. Roll out dough on a well floured surface (about 1/8" thick). Using a 5" biscuit cutter, cut 8 circles out of the dough. Place the dough in the individual pie pans. Fill with pot pie filling. Cover with remaining dough round, and seal edges with a crimp.

Place the pies on a baking sheet and brush crust with the egg wash. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden. Serve warm.

Notes

• The pie crust recipe is the same one I always use. I’ve just reduced it down for this recipe. Click here for an in-depth pie crust post.

• Chop vegetables and potatoes around the same size to allow for even cooking.

• Pot Pie filling can be made a day in advance.

• I haven’t tried freezing the beauties for later consumption. If you have any experience here, please share!

TIP OF THE WEEK

To deseed pomegranates without a mess, place a halved and stretched pom into a ziplock bag. Close and smack the peel of the fruit with the back of a wooden spoon, releasing just enough seeds for your desired serving. Store in the fridge.